SEO Stoopid
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Internet Business -> subcategory SEO.
SEO Stupid: A Lesson Learned
Summary
Discover how ignoring my website analytics led to lost sales. Are you making the same mistake?---
Why I Was “SEO Stupid”
I've been in SEO since 1996, managing clients successfully for years. Recently, I ventured into selling posters and art prints on my site. It seemed fun and I was curious about how quickly these unrelated pages would be indexed.
When the first two phases of Google's Jagger update hit, my clients and I were unaffected. I felt relieved. But the third wave was different. While my client's sites remained stable, my own site’s search rankings dropped significantly.
Realizing I needed to refocus, I decided to split my poster pages into their own site, recognizing that mixing diverse topics wasn't helping. I planned to shift them to a new domain when time allowed and used my broadband ISP's space temporarily. I updated my custom 404 page to inform visitors about the change.
Missed Opportunity
I regularly checked my site’s stats, but missed something crucial: Google now includes results from Google Images. My old analytics didn’t differentiate between regular and image searches.
Discovering this through Google Analytics, I found my posters ranked high in Google Images despite my text rankings tanking. For example, “Michael Sowa Prints” ranked at 1 and 3 in Google Images, but only in the 80s in regular search.
This revelation meant my 404 page was turning away potential customers who found my top-ranked images but couldn’t find the content they wanted.
Quick Fixes and Future Plans
I quickly restored the poster pages on my SEO site, hoping to catch the tail end of the Christmas rush. I maintained links to the new site to create a seamless visitor experience, though I know a long-term solution is needed.
Ultimately, I plan to use individual 301 redirects to transition completely, ensuring Google correctly indexes the content. For now, Google doesn’t recognize the new poster site, but that will change.
Key Takeaways
Don’t repeat my mistake. Use a comprehensive stats package to keep track of all search results, including images. The right analytics can save you both time and money by uncovering hidden opportunities.
Don’t be “SEO Stupid” like I was. Stay informed and ahead of the game.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: SEO Stoopid .
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